On the 16 February, Eldon building will host a panel of speakers who will explore the concept of sex in the Victorian era.

Prim or prurient? A panel of top experts in prostitution, sex and erotobibliomania present your guide to the shifting landscape of historical attitudes around sexuality.

The Panel Includes:

Dr Kate Lister is a lecturer at Leeds Trinity University, ally to Sex Worker Rights, and a fighter for sexual freedom at thewhoresofyores.com.

Dr Fern Riddell was an advisor on TV’s Ripper Street, her book The Victorian Guide to Sex is a historical romp through sexual desire, practises and deviance

Composer Dominic Crawford Collins is recording an audiobook inspired by the greatest erotomaniac of Victorian times. My Secret Life is an erotic memoir offering insights into the era which outdo Dickens.

Portsmouth’s own, William Sutton chairs the panel, researching beneath petticoats of Victorian Soho for his second novel, Lawless and the flowers of Sin.

The Guide to Victorian Sex is part of Portsmouth BookFest, a book festival that promotes book buying and borrowing, through a series of events that are not necessarily associated with books.

The event will take place in Eldon Building, room EW 1.11 between 7.00 pm and 8.30 pm, on Friday 16 February.

Tickets for this unique event are £5 and University of Portsmouth students can go free with a valid student ID. You can book your tickets through the Portsmouth Bookfest website.

To find the full schedule for BookFest 2018, you can visit the Portsmouth BookFest website, and you can find out more about the event, and panellists here.